AGS Midland Show 2025

Helen and I drove up on Friday morning because I had been asked to put up my display of photographs which had appeared previously at the South Wales show. The weather was sunny, the roads were flowing well, and cowslips and Hawthorn were now in full bloom, with occasional purple spikes of Early Purple Orchids – Orchis mascula.

By early afternoon we had arrived at the Malvern showground, and were discussing where the display should be put up.  It took the two of us, working efficiently together, three hours to put up the display boards, and then arrange all the photos on them.  But we left before the gates closed, and had a good meal at a local pub and a comfortable night in the Premier Inn.

Views of the Show

By the time we arrived the following morning, the benches were filling up, and there was plenty to do.  Over 400 plants were staged, providing an excellent display, though this pales in comparison to the shows 20 years ago, when I can remember the benches creaking with well over 1000 plants at one Midland show.

Mountain Landscapes in Black and White

I thought my exhibit of photos looked pretty good along one end of the show area, and enhanced the show.  The judges decided they wouldn’t judge it, as it was the same material which I had put up at South Wales.  Fortunately, I had anticipated this, and had brought my Large Gold Award from the previous show to put up on the boards.

The exhibitors, and visitors to the show, most of whom had not seen it at South Wales, enjoyed the pictures, and several of them came to talk to me about them.  However, it took the two of us another hour and a half after the show had closed to take the display down and pack it into the car, which meant that we left the show hall a long time after everyone else.  On reflection, we felt that our considerable efforts went largely unrecognised, and I will think twice before I agree to do a display of this sort again.

Whilst I was taking show views, I took some images of individual exhibits and classes which I didn’t plan on carrying later on.  The large pan Conifer class had several fine entries.

Foliage Classes

Bob Worsley entered a fine grouping in the three-pan foliage class.  I wanted to photograph the Podophyllum delavayi – the patterns on the leaves always fascinate me – but it was a long carry and I decided prudence was the best option.  Bob also won the small pan version of this class with the entry on the left.

Miniature Gardens

Carol Kellett won the Open section miniature garden class, whilst Lesley Travis took the Intermediate section class.

In the class for a miniature garden with accessories, I see a photographer has joined the judges in Anne Vale’s Outdoor AGS Show.  Surely not me – far too slim and agile, and sporting a full head of hair.  But who are the three judges – one sporting a moustache, one scratching his head in puzzlement, and a blue-eyed, blonde-haired boy wonder.  I had better not speculate.

Cut Flowers

There were two entries in the cut flowers class (no miniature flower arrangement).  The first went to Dave Mountfort’s collection on the left.

Small six pan class

Paul and Gill Ranson won the AGS Medal for the small six pan class with a wonderful grouping of two Dionysia, two Cassiope, Daphne modesta and Primula henricii.

Six small pans of rock plants grown from seed

Paul and Gill added to their collection the Midland Jubilee Goblet for six rock plants grown from seed.

Iris attica

This entry from Paul and Gill included a lovely caramel and white form of Iris attica grown from seed, which attracted a lot of attention from the people manning the West and Midland Iris Group stand, because some of the flowers had two falls.

Four rock plants – two in flower and two for foliage effect

Paul and Gill also won a four-pan class combining plants in flower with foliage effect.

Three small pans of Primulaceae

Paul and Gill pipped strong competition from John Dixon to win the class for three small pans of Primulaceae (their entry is on the right, John’s on the left).  With the four-pan class and the two six-pan classes this helped them to the Leschallas Cup for the Open Section aggregate.

On the other side of the huge hall was an assortment of displays and sales stands, including but not by any means limited to alpine nurseries.

Several plant societies had stalls with displays here, including the British Clematis Society, the Hardy Plant Society, and the West and Midland Iris Group.

Elite Orchids

The plant stalls included Mark Turner from Elite Orchids, who had a nice selection of Cypripedium hybrids including Cypripedium Sabine gx for sale.

More familiar nurseries included Copton Ash, Edroms, Gwaun Valley, Jacques Amand International, Pottertons and Primrose Bank.

Heartsease Nursery

The young lady from Heartsease Nursery had a lovely selection of woodland plants for sale.

Ice Alpines

The most eye-catching stall was from Ice Alpines.  Instead of plants being displayed in groups, their wares were placed in a seemingly random arrangement, which proved very eye-catching.

Altogether there were many interesting and tempting stands, but far too few visitors to make their day a successful one.

Dodecatheon meadia album

Back to the AGS show now.  Louise Nicholls won the aggregate for the Novice section, with plants including this pretty white Dodecatheon.  Note that the AGS has now accepted the inclusion of Dodecatheon within Primula, which has caused problems with class definitions at more recent shows.  So a class for Primulaceae excluding Primula also now excludes Dodecatheon.

Viola altaica

However, the Donald Lowndes Memorial Bowl for the best plant in the Novice section went to Selwyn Lane for his Viola altaica.

Fritillaria pallidiflora

The Intermediate section classes were hotly contested.  Andrew Ward staged a fine pan of Fritillaria pallidiflora.

Primula ‘Lindum Storm Cloud’

The Albury Trophy for the Intermediate section aggregate went to Lesley Travis, who had a car full of fine plants, including this Primula.

Anacamptis laxiflora

Alan Dash is an exhibitor who has been absent from shows for some time.  He has clearly developed a healthy obsession with orchids, showing many plants he had raised himself from seed.

These included some great specimens of the Jersey orchid, Anacamptis laxiflora, one of which brought him the Crataegus Trophy for the best plant in the Intermediate section.  Some of the judges thought these were too tall, but they are clearly not familiar with the species, which is tall when well grown, and have forgotten the huge plants Barry Tattersall used to exhibit.

Orchis anthropophora

Alan Dash staged orchids in classes all through the show, both in the Intermediate and in the Open section.  These two Man Orchids had lovely deep coloured markings.

Orchis x bergonii

Alan also showed two plants of the beautiful, vigorous hybrid between the Man Orchid and the Monkey Orchid – Orchis x bergonii (O. anthropophora x. O. simia).

Orchis provincialis

I always love this little yellow Orchis, and this was a charming specimen, again from Alan Dash.

Serapias neglecta

My final orchid from Alan was this pan of Serapias neglecta, which won him a Certificate of Merit in the show, and a Preliminary Commendation and a Cultural Commendation from the RHS Alpine and Rock Garden Expert Group, formerly known as the Joint Rock Garden Committee.

Cymbidium goeringii

It was good to see such a variety of plants in the Open section Orchidaceae classes.  Anne Vale won the class for one pan of Orchidaceae with a variegated form of Cymbidium goeringii.

Three pans of Orchidaceae

But it was David Carver who won the class for three pans of Orchidaceae, with three tiny pots of Serapias, full of plants and flowers.  For some reason I only photographed two of the three individually; I suspect I got interrupted, and forgot the third one (Serapias olbia) when I got back to taking photos, but it is a long time ago now.

Serapias orientalis cordigeroides

The most eye-catching member of David Carver’s group was the one in the middle, with the big pink lips, Serapias orientalis cordigeroides.

Serapias lingua ‘Richard Manuel’

However, it was this named clone of Serapias lingua with yellow lips which won David the Midland Challenge Cup for the best plant in the 19cm pot classes.

Pleione Ueli Wackernagel ‘Pearl’

Ian Robertson exhibited a lovely Pleione clone from the ‘Ueli Wackernagel’ grex.

Pleione Shasta

Don Peace also showed some lovely small pans of Pleione, including this one which I particularly liked.

Pleione Glacier Peak ‘Everest’

However, in the class for a large pan of Pleione, Don’s seed tray full of Pleione ‘Ueli Wackernagel Enigma’, which triumphed at Chesterfield, lost out to a lovely pan of Pleione ‘Glacier Peak Everest’, exhibited by Steve Clement.

Geissorhiza monanthos

In the bulbous classes, George Elder exhibited this South African species.  Not perhaps a plant to please the judges, with its lax stems, but a fabulous colour.

Albuca namaquensis

I exhibited a greenish-yellow Albuca, which made a tidy pan, though George wasn’t very impressed.

Wurmbea recurva

Another South African bulb from George Elder won a Certificate of Merit.  I always love the deep, deep purple flowers with yellow stamens.  But I can’t get seedlings past their first year.

Ornithogalum bungei

George Elder won the class for three small pans of bulbs with this trio – an Arisaema, Nothoscordum ostenii, and Ornithogalum bungei.  The Ornithogalum received a Certificate of Merit in the show, and an Award of Merit and a Cultural Commendation from the RHS Alpine Expert Group.

Iris bucharica

In the large pan classes, Steve Clements staged an eye-catching pan of Iris bucharica.

Muscari mcbeathianum

Eric Jarrett’s pan of Muscari mcbeathianum also received an Award of Merit and a Cultural Commendation from the RHS Alpine Expert Group.

Dionysia ‘Lauren’

The majority of the c. 40 plants exhibited by Paul and Gill Ranson were a last flush of Dionysia.  This one is an f2 hybrid raised by Michael Kammerlander out of ‘Alcyone’ which is itself a hybrid between D. microphylla and D. involucrata, raised by John Dixon.  There is an invaluable page maintained by Paul in the AGS online Encyclopaedia (http://encyclopaedia.alpinegardensociety.net/plants/Dionysia/hybrid), which gives seedling numbers and parentage (where known) of named Dionysia hybrids.

Michael Kammerlander named this one after Paul and Gill’s daughter, Lauren (and it doesn’t tell you that in the Encyclopaedia).

Dionysia hybrids

Many of Paul’s other Dionysia were hybrids of his own raising.  Here are:

• PMR19R2332H/1
• PMR16R2139/30
• PMR-DZ18R3089H/1

Primula ‘Netta Dennis’

Turning to Primula, Ben and Paddy Parmee exhibited a pretty plant of the Asiatic Primula ‘Netta Dennis’, which we see far too seldom on the show bench now.  Indeed, few members seem to grow these Asiatic Primula now – perhaps because of the trend towards warmer, drier summers.

Primula petelotii

The Midland Primula Bowl for the best pan of Primula went to Don Peace for this plant of Primula petelotii.

Cyclamen rhodium subsp peloponnesiacum

Ian Robertson managed to find a few places in the schedule for his large pans of Cyclamen.  His entry for three large pans of Primulaceae included this fine specimen of Cyclamen rhodium subsp peloponnesiacum.

Cyclamen rhodium subsp vividum

Ian Robertson also exhibited a lovely plant of Cyclamen rhodium subsp vividum.

Androsace vandellii

There were still some Androsace in evidence.  This perfect dome from Don Peace reminded me of the day last summer when I found this plant in full flower under an overhang in the Valais.

Androsace villosa var taurica

Don Peace received a Certificate of Merit for this pan of Androsace villosa var taurica.

Androsace selago

My favourite though was this tiny-flowered miniature dome from Paul and Gill Ranson of the high-altitude Androsace selago from Tibet and China above 4500m.

Rosenia humilis

George Elder entered this lovely South African shrub in the class for plants from the Southern Hemisphere.

Tropaeolum beuthii

Unfortunately, George’s Rosenia lost out to the flower power of a large specimen of Tropaeolum beuthii which I had entered.

Myriopteris yatskievychiana

Don Peace won the class for a plant rare in cultivation with this little fern, which received a Preliminary Commendation and a Cultural Commendation from the RHS committee.

Tropaeolum kingii

To my delight, I found that my own plant of Tropaeolum kingii had tied for first with Don in this class.  This species is known for being very scarce in cultivation, and difficult to grow, tubers often remaining dormant for years.

The plant exhibited was grown from SRGC seed sown in September 2018.  It may have some hybrid blood in it, as it does not look exactly like my original plant (which I have now lost) grown from seed from Monocot Nurseries sown in November 2003.

Lewisia rediviva hybrid

In the class for a plant new in cultivation, Peter Farkasch exhibited this two-tone Lewisia rediviva hybrid.

Lewisiopsis tweedyi alba

Lesley Travis had a wonderful plant of a white form of L. tweedyi.  Other exhibitors spent all day telling her it might have won the award for the best Lewisia if she had taken the dead flowers off; I imagine that got tiresome.

Lewisia cotyledon hybrid

Instead, the Roy Elliott Memorial Salver for the best pan of Lewisia went to Peter Farkasch for a Lewisia cotyledon hybrid with a colour he himself described as ‘bilious’.  I’m not sure that is accurate – ‘bilious’ is usually used with colour to describe something which is a yellowish green, but unlike show reporter Bob Worsley, I wasn’t that keen on the colour myself.

Anemonella thalictroides ‘Oscar Schoaf’

Somehow this year I haven’t seen or photographed any Anemonella, so it was good to find this little plant from Martin Rogerson.

Bergenia ‘Dragonfly Flirt’

The judges really liked this Bergenia from Brenda Nickels, and awarded it a Certificate of Merit.

Erigeron flettii

Peter Farkasch exhibited this lovely Erigeron.

Pulsatilla rubra

I gave a lecture to the Cotswold and Malvern AGS group this spring, spending some time with Eric Jarrett before the talk.  One of the plants I found in his greenhouse was this Pulsatilla, which looked healthy, but had no sign of buds.  So I was pleased to see and photograph these deep red cups at the show.

Veronica bolkardaghensis

John Dixon exhibited a fabulous plant of Veronica bolkardaghensis in his winning entry for three small pans of rock plants (left hand entry).  This received a Certificate of Merit from the judges.

Veronica bombycina

Veronica bolkardaghensis was once considered a subspecies of Veronica bombycina, which I include here for comparison, also grown beautifully by John Dixon.

Disporum lanuginosum

Dave Mountfort showed this unusual and attractive Disporum.

Melicytus alpinus

Carol Kellett exhibited this New Zealand shrub accompanied by a magnifying glass, for it was covered in tiny flowers.

Pieris japonica ‘William Buchanan’

The flowers on this Pieris from Eric Jarrett were rather more obvious, and won him the Edinburgh Quaich for the best pan of Ericaceae.

Daphne gemmata ‘Sciringa’

When I arrived at the show, I had a decision to make.  I had my Daphne gemmata ‘Sciringa’ with me, which had won a first a Chesterfield.

However, Dot Sample had an entry card for one pan Daphne, and I knew she has a marvellous plant of Daphne modesta, so I took a gamble and put my Daphne in the class for a plant from Asia.  In the event, this was a mistake – it would probably have been second in the Daphne class, and it wasn’t placed in the geographical class.

Daphne modesta

I was right in my prediction that Dot Sample’s Daphne would be good – it received the Farrer Medal for the best plant in the show – Dot’s first Farrer.  The RHS Alpine Group gave it an Award of Merit, and a Cultural Commendation.

As often, the officials started prize-giving early and then closed the show early, without advance warning – so my apologies to the growers whose plants I was yet to photograph, in particular Eric Jarrett who exhibited a lovely yellow saxifrage which was on my mental list.

By now, I was exhausted.  I had set up my ‘studio’ near a window, which meant I had great light, but it was a long carry (50m or so each way) from the show area, and there were plenty of heavy pots.  As I mentioned above, it took the two of us another hour and a half working together to take down the photographic display before we could get it in the car, and set off southwards.  A long and not entirely satisfactory day.

As always, thanks to all those who worked hard to make this show happen – and to the exhibitors, judges and stewards who produced an excellent display.